Alexis Gideon

Who? A self-professed “schizo-rap New York hillbilly,” Alexis Gideon is one-half of the cross-dressing Chicago rap band Princess. Without the collaboration of Princess partner Michael O’Neill, Gideon emerges with his first solo record, Welcome Song, released on Sick Room Records.

What’s the Deal? While you can’t judge an album by its cover, Alexis Gideon’s album artwork pretty much sums up its content. A lion’s body, with wings, boasts the head of an elephant and is depicted walking across water on the cover, and the music that waits inside is equally out of left field. Eccentrics like Animal Collective and Beck come to mind when spinning Gideon, who loops beats, warps guitars, and creates a carnival of schizophrenic sound morphing from dreamy folk to dancehall fodder.